THE REALITY OF THE EMPTY TOMB

 


EASTER SUNDAY – A | Apr. 05, 2026| Acts 10:34, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-9

THE REALITY OF THE EMPTY TOMB

Every year, we gather to hear a story that, on the surface, seems impossible. A man who was brutally executed, confirmed dead by Roman professional executioners, and sealed in a rock-cut tomb is suddenly... gone.

But if we look closely at the Gospel of John, the first thing we see isn't light and angels. It is darkness. “On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.” Mary goes to the tomb expecting to find a corpse. She is prepared to perform the final, sad duties of grief. She isn't looking for a miracle; she is looking for closure. But when she arrives, the stone is removed.

Confusion Before Conviction: Our reaction before the wonders of the Lord

The reaction of the disciples. When Mary runs to tell Peter and the “other disciple,” she doesn't shout “He is risen!” She cries out, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”

Her first instinct, and often ours, is loss. We assume that if things aren't where we left them, someone has stolen them. If God isn't acting the way we expected, we assume He is absent. Then we see the “race.” Peter and the other disciple run to the tomb. The younger disciple reaches it first but waits for Peter. When they enter, they see the burial cloths. These cloths are the “fingerprints” of the Resurrection. If someone had stolen the body, they wouldn't have taken the time to unwrap it and fold the head covering. The linen was left behind because the one who wore it no longer needed it. He had outgrown death.

The Gospel tells us that the other disciple “saw and believed.” This is the core of Easter: a shift in perception. To believe in the Resurrection is not just to believe in a historical event; it is to believe that life, not death, has the final word.

In our second reading, St. Paul tells us: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above.” In a world that often feels like it is “sinking” into cynicism, into digital isolation, into despair, Easter is a command to rise. It is an invitation to stop living as if the tomb were still sealed. The Resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus; it is something that is supposed to happen to us. When we choose to forgive someone who doesn't deserve it, the stone is rolled away. When we advocate for the marginalized despite the social cost, we are stepping out of the burial cloths. When we refuse to let “the way things have always been” dictate our future, we are living the Easter reality.

The empty tomb tells us that God can bring beauty out of the most horrific trauma. It tells us that your past, no matter how heavy or “dead” it feels, does not have the power to bury your future.

Let us, brothers and sisters, try to live out the Easter message in these two ways:

-       Seek “What is Above” -Digital Fasting-

St. Paul’s call to “seek what is above” is a call to intentionality. Our phones often keep our eyes “below,” focused on comparison and outrage. For the Octave of Easter (the next 8 days), try to replace 30 minutes of scrolling with 30 minutes of “ascending’: reading scripture, walking in nature, or engaging in a deep face-to-face conversation.

-       Witness Through Joy

In the first reading, Peter says, “He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify.” You don't need a pulpit to testify. In a world characterized by “doom-scrolling,” your primary witness is your unshakeable joy. When people ask how you can be hopeful despite the news, tell them your hope isn't based on the world, but on the Empty Tomb. 

So, my dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate this holy day, may our hearts be filled with joy and gratitude, knowing that we are forgiven, redeemed, and made new through His sacrifice and triumph.

Help us, oh Lord, to carry the light of the resurrection into our day-to-day life, living with renewed faith and hope. 

Amen!

By B'rata Joe H., sdb - P'tite Light

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